Robin Miriam Carlsson, perhaps better known as just Robyn, has steadily earned herself a place at the top of the pop firmament over the past seventeen (17!) years. Last year she released the amazing Body Talk series, including two mini-albums and a compilation. And last Thursday she performed in the Ancienne Belgique, proving once again that she is one of the top performers in the business.She definately didn't miss her entrance. Four men in white entered the stage and manned their intruments (synth, drum, drum, synth) while a voice started introducing Konichiwa headquarters' 'pint-sized atombomb' (a reference to the intro of her 2005 album Robyn). The lights started flashing , the keys started to build up and under an earsplitting haze of light and sound, Robyn jumped on stage, ready take the audience with her on an electropop roller coaster. Because if anything, she was determined to get everybody in motion. Dancefloor gems like 'Be Mine', 'Indestructible' and 'Fembot' were fired of at a furious pace, while Robyn flew across the stage, jumping and spinning around franticly. But, without ever sacrificing any of her vocal quality. Where Hurts threw a dozen roses into the crowd during their gig one week earlier, Robyn shared the peel of the banana she ate after that first round of adrenaline-pop. Not that there was much time to catch our breath.
By the time she pulled out 'Dancing On My Own' (suprisingly early), she had the whole crowd with her. It was only one of many memorable moments during the show, as Robyn disposes of a wide range of simply irresistible sing-and-dance-along pop songs, which effortlessly surpass the pop-uniformity we get jammed down our throates on a daily basis. There was not a dull moment during the whole set, and Robyn seemed unexhaustible the way she kept bursting with energy the whole time. And that energy inevitably reflected on the audience, which yelled along on indestructible tracks like 'Stars 4-Ever', 'Time Machine' and 'Love Kills'. Her Royksopp duet 'The Girl and the Robot' couldn't be left out of course and Snoop Dogg collaboration 'You Should Better' was saved for the end, in a refreshing, slowed-down version.
All of that left us wanting more, so Robyn returned for a first round of encores in which she played 'Hang With Me', the incredibly chilled 'Dancehall Queen' and her breakthrough hit 'With Every Heartbeat'. Subsequently she left the stage again and was yelled back on stage for another round. And for those who figured it was too late to dance, she pulled out an exhaulted version of 'Konichiwa Bitches' out of her hat. And with an accoustic 'Show Me Love' she concluded. With a staggering 90-minute performance Robyn established herself once again as one of the greatest pop stars of the decade. When your feet, your hands and your throat are soar afterwards, you know you've gotten your money's worth.
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